The title for Es­teban Cabeza de Ba­ca’s solo ex­hi­bi­tion takes its in­spi­ra­tion from David Mitchell’s novel Cloud Atlas. A theme in the 2004 sci fi nar­ra­tive is kind­ness over greed, self­less­ness over vi­o­lence and hu­manity over be­trayal. Mitchell con­siders how hu­mans nor­malize bru­tality, while he also per­sists against “an ocean” of pes­simism.

Cabeza de Baca, born on the border of the US Mexico border to Mex­ican and Na­tive Amer­ican par­ents, has from a young age felt the brunt of im­pe­rial dis­pos­ses­sion. Whether it’s through fig­u­ra­tive or ab­stract painting and sculp­ture this hy­brid art prac­tice com­pli­cates linear colo­nial memory in order to en­vi­sion grander pools of per­cep­tion.